Shane Long was back in Thurles last night to cheer Tipperary to victory over Galway.

Proudly wearing his Tipp jersey, the Hull and Republic of Ireland striker was spotted among the crowd after a busy season in the Premier League. Long could easily have been playing in last night's All-Ireland qualifier if he hadn't opted to concentrate on soccer when he was a teenager.

By the age of 18, he had played in consecutive Munster MHC finals against Cork, scoring 2-1 in each game, before taking up an offer to play soccer for Cork City in 2004. Within a year, he'd signed for Reading and went on to become the first man to play both hurling and soccer in Croke Park in 2007 when he featured for the Republic of Ireland against Slovakia in a European Championship qualifier. Tweet

Most Read Stories